Military

Further Reading

RSOI/Foal Eagle

RSOI/Foal Eagle 2004

Sailors and Marines of the Expeditionary Strike Group- Forward Deployed Naval Force (ESG-FDNF) wrapped up the annual joint exercise Foal Eagle off the South Korean coast28 March, which begane on 21 March. To ensure peak readiness, both U.S. and ROK sailors and marines practiced and qualified in a wide range of amphibious operations. To make sure ROK pilots performed DLQ's (Deck Landing Qualifications) on deck of U.S Marine Aircraft, they were given two hours to safely land their aircraft onboard since ROK pilots don't get as many opportunities to practice landing on a moving warship.

Foal Eagle also offered the U.S. and ROK navies and marine corps an opportunity to practice supporting each other through supporting fires and communications drills. They coordinated and maneuvered U.S. small craft that was on the ROK ships from the Essex, and the ROK navy did the same with their small craft on U.S. ships. The ability to communicate through the obvious language barriers and even ensuring that they were all on the same frequency made this a huge success, according to Lt. Ty Bruce, Amphibious Squadron 11 Supporting Fires Officer.

Three VP 1 aircraft, four aircrews, and 20 maintenance personnel successfully executed 14 events in eight days; each designed to improve the interoperability of forces from the United States and the Republic of Korea. On their way to a 100 percent mission completion rate, the Screaming Eagles demonstrated the multi-mission capabilities of the P-3C Orion in support of anti-submarine warfare, surface search and control, vessel boarding/search and seizure, mining, and amphibious operations. VP 1 aircrews also provided surveillance and protection for an amphibious assault by the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.